Welcome back, everybody! Glad to have you here for another edition of fantasy football Start/Sit, and a very special Week 6 edition. Why is it so special? It’s a week of Oakland-less football! We all get a reprieve from Caveman Gruden’s scowl and constant effort to bring football back to the 1960s. Also, there’s going to be a ton of points scored this week. There are plenty of high octane matchups to choose from. It’s odd how that works, the Raiders don’t play, and all of a sudden there are excellent games for the entire week. (Ok, minus the Redskins and Tanks squaring off in Toilet Bowl 2019. There’s really no reason to even have that game flip on to the screen unless offensive linemen are scoring touchdowns).
In all seriousness though, there are really exciting matchups to keep an eye on and plenty of fantasy points to be had. If you have any Chiefs and/or Texans, you’re starting them. That game is going to have a Big 12 feel to it. I wouldn’t be surprised to see 42-35 (Kansas City winning of course). So, let’s get to breaking it down for Week 6.
Fantasy Breakdown
Start Them
Quarterbacks: Kyler Murray, Kyle Allen, Gardner Minshew
Kyler Murray and the Cardinals are going up against Matt Ryan and the Falcons in what should be like Chiefs/Texans Lite. The overall records are worse, but the offensive production should be around the same. Both defenses have been absolutely atrocious so far, and Murray has the added dimension of running with the football. David Johnson should be able to give it a go for Week 6. Along with that, Larry Fitzgerald has been as sure-handed as ever. Assuming the Falcons should be playing desperation level football, the Cardinals are going to keep the ball in Murray’s hands for the majority of the game. Two passing and a rushing touchdown is a great possibility.
Kyle Allen is going against a Buccanneers secondary that hasn’t been able to stop anyone. (They’re dead last in giving up passing yards per game) from throwing all season. Pair that with an unusually early kickoff (8:30 AM Central; Game is being played in London), and that only improves the matchup for the Panthers. Christian McCaffrey is being utilized just as much in the passing game as he is in the running attack. That is going to do wonders for Allen’s fantasy production. Run CMC should be back according to head coach Ron Rivera. I wouldn’t be surprised if Riverboat Ron decides to put on a show for the fans in the United Kingdom with aggressive play-calling and tactics throughout the game.
Garnder Minshew hasn’t scored less than 16 fantasy points coming into Week 6. That’s shocking considering nobody had any idea who he was before we kicked off the 2019 season. The even more surprising thing to consider is that he has a top-five fantasy receiver on his team. That isn’t a typo. DJ Chark is currently ranked 5th in fantasy points in the wide receiver position. Oh, and they have this guy named Leonard Fournette. While they’re playing the Saints this week, they’re getting them at home and without Drew Brees. I’m not saying New Orleans hasn’t been playing good football without him. His absence is certainly going to hinder them against a quality opponent in the Jaguars who may have Jalen Ramsey back.
Also, get your Gardner Minshew gear from out friends at DSGN Tree!
Running Backs: Derrick Henry, Chris Carson, Damien Williams
I’ve been hearing a whole lot from “experts” this week that they don’t like the matchup of Tennessee’s offense against Denver’s defense. My response is that the Titans are going to employ the same strategy that Jacksonville did against the Broncos with a running back that has the same skill set. Do I expect Derrick Henry to have 225+ yards and multiple scores? That’s the hope, but not likely. Is 150+ and a score a probability? Yes. Yes, it is. There isn’t some sort of magic that is going to make Denver able to stop the run better against the Titans than the Jaguars. Sure, they might stack the box.
People are pointing out Minshew is by far and away a better quarterback than Mariota and the Titans can’t throw the ball. Here are the splits: 1116 yards (Mariota) to 1279 yards (Minshew); 7 TD/0 INT (Mariota) to 9 TD/1 INT (Minshew); 103 Rating (Mariota) to 105.6 Rating (Minshew). It’s barely a gap at all. The Titans will be fine running all over the Broncos.
Chris Carson is going up against a Browns team that is in total turmoil already. By Week 6, Cleveland has gone from sexy Super Bowl pick to whispering about trading Odell Beckham. This is shaping up to be a huge week for Carson. He’s going up against the 28th ranked run defense and benefitting from current MVP leader Russell Wilson’s hot start. Seattle looks like they’ll be ahead for the majority of the game and with Carson’s physical running style coupled with the Browns propensity to self-destruct with frustration, he could be in line for a 20+ point fantasy day.
Damien Williams is coming off the injury list this week. He also seems to be Andy Reid’s back of choice when it comes to drawing up routes from the backfield. Especially in PPR formats, Williams is going to be in line for a big day. This game is going to be putting up video game numbers on the scoreboard, and Williams has been getting the goal line carries as well. Coming off an embarrassing home loss against Indianapolis, the Chiefs aren’t going to take their foot off the gas pedal. Expect Damien Williams to be a big part of that.
Wide Receivers/Tight End: Mike Williams, Calvin Ridley, Stefon Diggs, Gerald Everett (TE)
Mike Williams is back to full health and had a pretty good outing last week against Denver. He has a much better Week 6 matchup against a struggling Pittsburgh team that is going to have trouble covering Keenan Allen, to begin with. Williams is a big body receiver and will be a weapon in the red zone. This is especially true if the Steelers decide to key in on Austin Ekeler and Melvin Gordon coming out of the backfield as well. This game could get ugly, but the Chargers defense may keep Pittsburgh in the game until the end. I wouldn’t be surprised if Williams sees eight or more targets this week.
Calvin Ridley is going to be used all over the field this week against a struggling Cardinals secondary. They will likely be in a panic to cover Julio Jones without Patrick Peterson. This will allow Ridley to run wild as Jones will presumably be double-teamed or at the very least the focus for Arizona. He has great speed to run deep routes as well as the quickness to run underneath. I wouldn’t be shocked if he finishes close to 100 yards and a score.
Remember last week when I brought up the squeaky wheel narrative for Kirk Cousins and the Vikings? No wheel is squeaking louder than Stefon Diggs right now. The Vikings have two options: they can continue to ignore Diggs and trade him OR they can actually start targeting him and getting him the ball. I’m inclined to believe in the latter option, simply because their better off having Diggs paired with Adam Thielen than trading him to another team for marginal compensation. They’re going up against a streaky Eagles defense, and are playing at home in a game that should be competitive throughout. Look for Diggs to be more involved.
Speaking of getting involved, Gerald Everett is finally becoming a part of the Rams offense. He’s wasn’t just getting courtesy targets either, considering he had 7 catches for 136 yards ( and he scored. The Rams didn’t challenge it and ran it in on the next play, but he scored damn it). The Rams are going against an undefeated San Francisco team, and it’s more likely than not that this game will be pass-heavy affair. He’s worth a cheeky start in daily leagues.
More Fantasy Breakdown
Sit Them
Quarterbacks: Dak Prescott, Matt Stafford, Carson Wentz
Settle down, Dallas fans. I can hear you from here. Remember, this is a fantasy football column. I’m looking for players that are going to make a difference in daily fantasy leagues as well as key contributors to winning in a season-long league matchup. The Cowboys should win this game handily, but I’m not sold on Prescott being a huge part of that. Sure, he might put up 250 yards and a touchdown. That’s not going to win you anything in the fantasy world though. Dallas is going to control this game with the running game against a Jets team that doesn’t have a bad defense when their offense is at full strength. The Cowboys are winning, but Dak isn’t winning any fantasy games this week.
Matt Stafford has just been wildly inconsistent whenever he’s on the road. Playing against a Packers team in Lambeau on Monday Night doesn’t bode well for him. While Green Bay’s defense isn’t amazing, they do have Jaire Alexander to cover Kenny Golladay. That will force Stafford and head coach Matt Patricia to consider other options, like running the ball against a terrible run defense. A big Kerryon Johnson day on the ground would mean that Stafford’s fantasy production to be average at best. Consider going with another quarterback this week.
The situation for Carson Wentz this week is much more difficult. He’s going on the road to Minnesota to face a tough Vikings defense, with a committee backfield, and a wide receiving corps that has struggled to stay healthy already this season. It gets worse with star offensive tackle Jason Peters in jeopardy of missing the game, and deep threat Desean Jackson doubtful. If Philadelphia wants a chance at winning this game, they’ll have to try to keep it low scoring. That is not something you want out of your fantasy quarterback.
Running Backs: Todd Gurley, Joe Mixon, Carlos Hyde
It’s not a matter of a bad matchup or an anemic offense. It’s a matter of being injured. Todd Gurley hasn’t been playing hurt, he’s been playing with arthritic knees. It’s sad to say, but three to four seasons is about the fantasy lifespan of a running back in the NFL now. Gurley has been reduced to vulturing touchdowns in goal to go situations. That just isn’t something you want starting on your fantasy team on a weekly basis or worth the money in a daily league.
Joe Mixon is just on a terrible Cincinnati team and is going against a Ravens defense that needs to win this game to keep control of the AFC North. It’s safe to assume that Baltimore knows that the Bengals have two weapons: Joe Mixon and Tyler Boyd. They are going to take those two out of the game and make Cincinnati beat them with whatever else they decide to trot onto the field.
Don’t get suckered into thinking Carlos Hyde is a cheeky play against Kansas City for Week 6. I understand that the Chiefs just got run over by the Colts, but Indianapolis is built to run their offense that way. Houston is not. The Texans offensive line isn’t close to being as talented as the Colts or nearly as adept as run blocking. DeShaun Watson is going to have to outscore Patrick Mahomes in an old fashioned shootout. That doesn’t involve Carlos Hyde running the football.
Wide Receivers/Tight End: JuJu Smith-Schuster, Alshon Jeffery, Anybody in the Washington/Miami game, Mark Andrews (TE)
JuJu Smith-Schuster is being stifled by an offense that is being riddled by injuries and a lack of options. The Chargers are going to key in on him this week, and I don’t see him having much success. The only thing he has been able to do is run after the catch, but against a zone defense, that is going to be tough to do, let alone have much of a fantasy impact. I’d wait for him to have a more favorable matchup before starting him.
Alshon Jeffery is going to have a tough time getting any separation against Minnesota, despite his size. Sure, Philadelphia may target him in the red zone. However, that becomes a problem if you struggle to get to it in the first place. Desean Jackson is out, so that takes away the vertical threat and Nelson Agholor is battling a bad case of the drops. The running game is going to have tough sledding all game long, just stay away from the Eagles this week.
Go ahead, I dare you. I double dare you. Start any Redskin or Dolphin this week and have ANY ounce of confidence that they will make anything more than a marginal impact for your team this week. Nobody has any idea how this game will play out, and if you just want a reason to watch it by starting Terry McLaurin, then go ahead. Stashing a Dolphins receiver or running back still? First of all, why? Second of all, if you’re not starting them this week, then you forgot they’re on your team or you’re begging for them to be traded. The sheer amount of ineptitude in this game is going to make it competitive (that’s technically the right term. I guess. Not happy about, but I can’t think of another word) but I’m not starting anyone.
Sorry for mentioning you so close to these two teams Mark Andrews. You’re a good player, but you’re banged up right now and the one thing that the Bengals seems to do is cover the opposing tight end decently. Just take the week off to recover and you’ll be back in the top ten.
That wraps up the Week 6 edition of Start/Sit! Thanks to everyone who continues to read and follow along on Twitter. Please don’t be afraid to keep this conversation going with me (@Rellihan51) and hit me up with any other questions or last second decisions you’re having trouble with before the games Sunday. Enjoy a week without Raiders football everyone!
Nick Rellihan
